Casket



Aug. 18, J. E. CORRIGAN I 2, 51,163

CASKET Filed Sept. 20, 1935 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY! Patented Aug. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE' 1 Claim.

My invention relates to a new and improved casket.

One of the objects of rm; invention is to provide a casket having an improved type of adjustable support, for supporting thebody, so that the body can be supported at any desired level, and in any tilted position relative to, the bottom of the casket.

Another object of my invention is to provide simple and efiicient means for adjusting the height and the angle of the support, so that the device can be manufactured at low cost, and the operating parts are concealed.

Other objects of my invention will be set forth in the following description and drawing, which illustrates preferred embodiments thereof, it being understood that the above general statement of the objects of my invention is intended generally to explain the same, without limiting it in any manner.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the improved casket, said view being partially in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, the representation of the support having been eliminated in this view, in order to illustrate the remaining parts more clearly.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, the lower ends of struts Illa being broken away. Fig. 4 is a top plan view, which illustrates a modification of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 1-3 inclusive, these show a casket I, having a bottom member to which racks I are connected, by means of fastening devices 8. These racks are provided with ratchet teeth, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The body-support 2 is made of any suitable material.

Adjacent one end thereof, a bar 5, made of metal or any other suitable material, is connected to the underside of the support 2. A U-shaped frame 3, having a bottom member 6, is pivotally connected to the bar or bracket 5, by means of pivot pins 4. The lower member 6 of the frame 3 is shaped as shown in Fig. 1, and this lower member 6 can fit into the space between any pair of the ratchet teeth of the rack I, so that said frame 3 provides a pivoted support, for adjustably holding the adjacent end of the support 2, at any desired height above the bottom of the casket.

Adjacent the other end thereof, a bar or bracket 9 is connected to the underside of the support 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the said bracket 9 comprises two portions of unequal width, the portion which is of greater width being adjacent the right-hand end of the support 2. Hence each end-face of the bracket comprises an outer endface portion and an inner end-face portion, the outer end-face portions being aligned, and the inner end-face portions being aligned.

A pair of struts or arms II] are connected to the said bracket 9, by means of pivot pins Ila, so that said struts are operatively connected to the support 2. The arms I0 are connected to a slide I 4, by means of fastening devices I2. The members I2 are pivot pins, so that the arms In can turn relative to the slide I4. The slide I4 is slidably mounted upon the tops-of tracks T, which are suitably fastened to the bottom of the casket. Hence the slide I4 is slidably supported on the bottom of the casket.

The slide I4 has an angular cross-section, and a screw I'I, having a threaded portion IIa, passes through an opening in the upstanding wall of the slide I4, and said threaded portion I Ia of the screw I! also passes through the internally threaded bore of a nut member I5, which is rigidly secured to the slide I4.

The screw I! also passes through a U-shaped' frame I6, whose bottom ends are suitably connected to the bottom of the casket.

A second pair of arms Ifla are connected to the bracket 9, by means of pivot pins II. Said pivot pins I I are spaced longitudinally relative to pivot pins Ila, so that struts I0 cross the struts Illa. Said arms Illa are pivotally connected, by means of pins I8, to a cross member I 9. The cross member I9 has an angular cross-section, and the screw I1 passes through an opening in the upstanding wall of said cross-member I9. The cross-member I9 is fastened to the bottom of the casket, by means of fastening devices 25. Hence the lower ends of struts I0 are, in effect, pivotally connected to the bottom of the casket. Directly adjacent the rear surface of the upstanding wall of the cross-member I9, a collar 20 is connected to the adjacent smooth portion of the screw H, by means of a set screw or the like. The screw I! also passes through a gasket 22, which is made of any suitable metal such as steel, and said screw I'I also passes through a gasket R, which is made of rubber or of any other suitable resilient material. The right hand end of the screw I! is provided with a recess 24, which has a noncircular cross-section, such as a square cross-section. A crank 23 is provided with an end which may be fitted into the recess 24, in order to turn the screw l 1-. Due to the stepped shape of the end facesof the'bracket 9,, which is shown'inl Fig. 2, the arms are outer arms, which are lat erally spaced from the inner arms 1 0a.

The adjustment of the support 2 is as follows:

' One-endof the support 2 is adjusted, by regulating the angle between the member 3 and the said support 2. This can be done by means of the openings 2a which are provided in the sup port 2, so that the'operatorcaninsert his hands through said openings 2a, in order to re ulate the angle between'the member3 and said support 2. Upon turning the crank handle 23, the turning of 'the screw 11 causes the' longitudinal shifting and adjustment of the slide 1 4, along the tracks'T.

I Since the cross-member l9is fixed to the bottom of the casket, the longitudinal shifting of the slide I4 causes a change in the angle betweenthe 7 arms 10 and Illa, and the said support 2, so that the right hand end of the support 2 is raised or lowered. i Y I This construction makesit possible tomount the support 2 at any desired angle to the bottom of the casket, and to hold said 'support 'l in said adjusted position. The'thread ofthe screwll is sufiiciently fine, so that theslide l l'isheld automatically in its'adjusted position. a 7

- U-shaped member It.

represents a modification of the left han'd side The member Iii serves as a'supplemen-t'al sup- 30 port for the member 2, because if the right hand end of the support 2 'is lowered sufiicient1y,"the bar ;or=bracket 9 will'rest upon the to'p of the The embodiment shown in Fig; 4 and 'Fig. 5

of. Fig. l.' In this modification, the underside of 'the support vl has arms --30 pivotally connected thereto, by means of pivot pins 3|. Each of these 7 arms 36 has a'tension'spring S connected thereto,

and said tensionsprings have their inner ends fastened to the underside of the support '2, by

meansof pins 33; The tension springs 6 turn the arms 30, until their pawl ends engage the ratchet teeth of vertical ratchets 34,'which may be cast integral with supporting-legs 35, which are suitably connected :to' the bottom of the casket. The up per ends'of said racks 34 may also be connected to the side walls of the casket, by meansoi fast ening members 40. The openings 2a make it possibleto manipulate the arms 30, so as to regulate the height of the adjacent end ofthe' support 2, a

relative to the bottom of the casket.

The support 2 substantially conceals the operating parts since the openings 2a are small.

Ij-do not wish to be limited to the specific ad-.

justing devices illustrated herein, or any of them, although the. specific constructions which have been illustrated representthemost-desirable form 'of the invention. However, numerous changes and omissions can be made without departin from the'spirit of the invention.

It will be noted that the adjusting means which are shown atthe right-hand side of Fig; l are operated from the exterior of the casket.

The screw ll is'provided with suitable bearings 7 7 in. the openings .of the upstanding flanges of members l4 and I9, so that the screw can turn freely. The gaskets 22 i and R- may" be' suitably secured to'the end-wall of the casket. The gasket R acts as liquid-tight 1 and gas-tight packing.

I'have shown preferred embodimentsofmy'invent-ion but it is c'learthat numerous changes and omissions-can bemade'without departing from its spirit;

I claim: r 1 -A casket having "a vertically movable support thereinga bracket connected'to the undersldeyof; said --support, said fbrjacket having stepped endfaces-so that ea'ch of saidiiend-faces comprises outer and inner end-face-por'tions, the outer V to aumemberwhich 'isslidablyj supported on the bottom of the casket for longitudinal -to-and-fro movement, a second pair or struts pivotally "cone nected at their upper ends to said inner end fa'ee portions and pivotally connectedat their lower ends. to the bottein of the ca'skea 'a'nd mechanism for actu'ating said' member. r V

a JOHNEL- CORRIGAN. 

